It’s been a long 6-months of looking and on December 15th, Shale’s chip was scanned at a veterinarian office near Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve had a crazy week and am losing my voice telling the story on repeat so here it goes…

I was loading my truck for an archery hunt in Nevada and noticed a missed call and voicemail on my phone. I checked the message and it was the microchip company reporting that Shale’s chip was scanned by a veterinarian in Minnesota. I called the vet office and they relayed me to the client who had Shale.

I asked what happened and she explained that they were on a road trip and saw Shale (close to where I was camped). They opened the car door and got Shale inside (she was scared from the sudden fireworks up the river). I asked why they didn’t find me and she explained that she liked shale and kept her. It was more of a statement than explanation really. Basically, they picked up my dog and drove home to Minnesota with the intention of keeping her forever.

I’ll leave the gritty details out as this is now moving through law enforcement. I flew straight to Minnesota to get Shale back. She did initially refuse to return Shale but with the help of local law enforcement and the amazing non-profit volunteers from The Retrievers, she agreed to have Shale dropped off at the airport. The retrievers group even sent two awesome guys to the airport to witness the transfer and ensure everything went smoothly.

I’ll be donating to this group and encourage anyone who loves Shale to chip in a few bucks, my friend Heather being the exception – she already dropped too much dough on a psychic when we were desperate.

To all of the Montana locals reading this, you know about the insane and disappointing tourist season we experienced this year. The crowds were intense and nearly every campsite in the state was packed with visitors. Many areas that are normally pristine were full of trash and the blatant disregard and disrespect for the local communities was on a level I hope to never experience again.

To those city people who plan on visiting rural areas in the future, a healthy 10 year old dog is not likely lost. We have ranch dogs and local dogs that are very self sufficient. If you do happen to pick up a lost looking dog, common sense should tell you to ask the local gas station, check for flyers or drop the dog at a local shelter where it can have a chip scanned. Taking the dog across multiple state lines and holding it indefinitely is outright theft. I made it extremely easy to find me and return Shale.

When I did finally meet Shale at the airport, I was overwhelmed with happiness. She spent 6-months waiting for me to pick her up and it was clear hope was not lost on either end. Her kidnappers managed to put 25 pounds on her in 6-months. That is more than half of her body weight. She was struggling to walk across the airport and I am guessing she was held on tether and wasn’t allowed any exercise.

They removed Shale from the best life a dog can have and held her in their tiny prison. They stole my best friend but also stole her from a wide network of people who love her from all over the world. My nieces asked on the phone every time I called – Did you find Shale? I had to disappoint them for 6 solid months. I was lucky to have the support of my amazing family and friends. I’m also grateful for the 100’s of strangers who did their best to help. To all of the good people out there, I am forever grateful. If your dog isn’t chipped – I recommend getting that done. 24 Hour Pet Watch was a great company to deal with and they ultimately are the reason Shale and I are reunited.